Abstract
The concept of dignity is notoriously vague. In this paper it is argued that the reason for this is that there are three versions of dignity that are often confused. First we will take a short look at the history of the concept of dignity in order to demonstrate how already from Roman Antiquity two versions of dignity can be distinguished. Subsequently, the third version will be introduced and it will be argued that although the three versions of dignity hang together, they should also be clearly distinguished in order to avoid confusion. The reason for distinguishing the three versions is because all three of them are only partially effective. This will be demonstrated by taking the discussion about voluntary ‘dying with dignity’ as an example. Inspired by both Paul Ricoeur’s concept of ethics and the ethics of care a proposition will be done as to how the three versions of dignity may sustain each other and help achieve what neither one of the versions can do on its own.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baart, A., and F. Vosman. 2011. Relationship based care and recognition. Part one: Sketching good care from the theory of presence and five entries. In Compassion and recognition: An ethical discussion, ed. C. Leget, C. Gastmans, and M. Verkerk. Leuven: Peeters.
Beyleveld, D., and R. Brownsword. 2001. Human dignity in bioethics and biolaw. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chochinov, H.M. 2002. Dignity-conserving care—a new model for palliative care: Helping the patient feel valued. Journal of the Americal Medical Association 287: 2253–2260.
Chochinov, H.M., et al. 2005. Dignity therapy: A novel psychotherapeutic intervention for patients near the end of life. Journal of Clinical Oncology 23: 5520–5525.
Cicero 1991. On duties, Miriam T. Griffin and E. Margaret Atkins, trans. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Held, V. 2006. The ethics of care. In Oxford handbook of ethical theory, ed. D. Copp. New York: Oxford University Press.
Hobbes, T. 2010. Leviathan: Or the matter, forme, and power of a Common-Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civill, ed. Ian Shapiro. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Horton, R. 2004. Rediscovering human dignity. Lancet 364: 1081–1085.
Kant, I. 1981. Grounding for the metaphysic of morals, James W. Ellington, trans. Hacket: Indianapolis.
Lawton, J. 2000. The dying process. Patients’ experiences of palliative care. London: Routledge.
Leget, C., P. Borry, and R. De Vries. 2009. Nobody tosses a dwarf! The relation between the empirical and the normative re-examined. Bioethics 23(4): 226–235.
Korsgaard, C.M. 1996. Creating the kingdom of ends. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kraynak, R.P., and G. Tinder (eds.). 2004. In defense of human dignity: Essays for our times. Notre Dame/London: University of Notre Dame Press.
Macklin, R. 2003. Dignity is a useless concept. British Medical Journal 327: 1419–1420.
Margalit, A. 1996. The decent society. Harvard: Harvard University Press.
McCrudden, J.C. 2008. Human dignity and judicial interpretation of human rights. European Journal of International Law 19(4): 655–724.
Ricoeur, P. 1992. Oneself as another. London: University of Chicago Press.
Rietjens, J.A.C., et al. 2006. Terminal sedation and euthanasia: A comparison of clinical practices. Archives of Internal Medicine 166: 749–753.
Sulmasy, D. 2008. Dignity and bioethics: History, theory, and selected applications. In The President’s Council on Bioethics, Human Dignity and Bioethics: Essays Commissioned by the President’s Council on Bioethics. Washington, DC: The President’s Council on Bioethics.
Todres, L., K. Galvin, and K. Dahlberg. 2007. Lifeworld-led healthcare: Revisiting a humanizing philosophy that integrates emerging trends. Medicine Healthcare and Philosophy 10: 53–63.
Tronto, J.C. 1993. Moral boundaries: A political argument for an ethic of care. New York: Routledge.
van Heijst, A. 2006. Dignity as a relational concept: Arguments pro and contra from the ethics of care. In Bodiliness and human dignity, ed. Goris H. 89–97. Tilburg: Tilburg Theological Studies 2.
van Heijst, A. 2011. Professional loving care. Leuven: Peeters.
Vanlaere, L. 2006. Zorg. Een wijsgerig-en theologisch-ethisch grondslagenonderzoek met toepassing op de zorg voor suïcidale ouderen [Dissertation KU Leuven].
Walker, M.U. 2007. Moral understandings: A feminist study in ethics, 2nd revised ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Walker, M.U. 2011. Humane dignity. In Care, compassion and recognition: An ethical discussion, ed. C. Leget, M. Verkerk, and C. Gastmans, Leuven: Peeters Press, 163–181.
Wittgenstein, L. 1953. Philosophical investigations, G.E.M. Anscombe, trans. New York: The MacMillan Company.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Leget, C. Analyzing dignity: a perspective from the ethics of care. Med Health Care and Philos 16, 945–952 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-012-9427-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-012-9427-3